Focus on EDU: EdTech and The Education Experience

Join us as we dive into some radical vulnerability, Wu-Tang, grace, science, humility, mistakes, Jay-Z, #HipHopEd, reality pedagogy, and so much more. Dr. Chris Emdin, professor at Teachers College at Columbia University, author of "For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood..." and the Upcoming "RatchetDemic" joins us for this week's EXTENDED CUT 30 minute episode of #FocusOnK12. Thanks for joining us...

Over the past year, our parents, families, and communities have become even more integral in our student success. In Orange County Public Schools, Mariel Milano (Director for Digital Curriculum) helped lead the charge to shift their parents and families into learning copilots on the education journey for their students. Thanks for joining us today on Focus on K-12, EdTech and The Education Experie...

In education, our curriculum rarely keeps up with shifts in the market, the economy, and other forces that shape the world we live in. While not all of our students are planning on starting a business, many can benefit from teaching and learning around the skills that are sometimes relegated to an entrepreneurship curriculum: defining and solving a problem, confidence and clarity of communication,...

Throughout the pandemic, we've seen an explosion of new resources being thrust into the world of education. As we continue to roll out new programs and tools in our schools, we need to make sure our teachers and staff feel prepared to integrate them into their instruction. Michelle Moore leads us through some thoughts around professional learning and what leaders can do to keep it as the focus of...

Pav Wander is one half of the teaching and podcasting powerhouse Chey and Pav. In our conversation, we discuss how they got started with The Staffroom Podcast and The Drive on VoicEd Radio, how the podcasting informs her work as a teacher, and how she tries to balance the dual life of a content creator and teacher. Thanks for joining us today on Focus on K-12, EdTech and The Education Experience....

Ken Shelton is a powerful voice for equity in education. Today we dive into the fact that digital equity isn't only about having access to a device and a hotspot, we've got to take a look at the lack of stable broadband access throughout our country. We also examine the views of screen time across socioeconomic lines and the importance of focusing on the learning that is available to those with ac...

Large, urban school districts tend to operate like their own city within a city- acting as a hub for learning and knowledge, but also supporting the areas that they serve. Today, I talk with Phillip Dunn, CIO for Broward County Schools in Florida (6th largest district in the country with ~270K students), who has also worked within NYC DOE (largest district in the country). We talk about some of th...

While MANY things in education changed in 2020, one thing has stayed the same (or actually grown in importance), and that is the need to build strong relationships with your students in the classroom. Today, I talk to Jess Boyce from Flipgrid and we share some stories of building positive relationships while creating an environment of safety and respect. Thanks for joining us today on Focus on K-1...

For many of our students, the teacher who stands before them each day doesn't look like them or have any similar lived experiences. Sharif El-Mekki, founder and CEO of The Center for Black Educator Development, is looking to change all that and build a #BlackTeacherPipeline. Thanks for joining us today on Focus on K-12, EdTech and The Education Experience. If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe...

Dr. Sarah Thomas is an educator, author, technologist, publisher, leader, and so much more. On this episode, we connected on what it means to share your voice and have your voice heard in a world with a lot of noise. Thanks for joining us today on Focus on K-12, EdTech and The Education Experience. If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe. If you have any ideas for future guests or you’d like to...

Design Thinking has become one of those buzzwords in education that we hear about more and more often. Dee Lanier takes some time to break down what design thinking really is and what it can mean for education. Thanks for joining us today on Focus on K-12, EdTech and The Education Experience. If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe. If you have any ideas for future guests or you’d like to contac...

Representation matters. Full stop. Over the last year, we've seen new instances of representation of our BIPOC community in more 'typical' spaces like TV and movies, and in this episode of Focus on K-12, I talk to Felisa Ford from Atlanta Public Schools about her time working on representation in a pixelated world- the Good Trouble world in Minecraft EDU. Listen in as she shares her passion, her e...

Fear is something that we can all relate to in education settings and in our daily lives. We all feel fear at some time or another. How can we help students, teachers, and staff succeed when facing fear? Trevor Ragan, from the Learner Lab, breaks down some of the research that guides our thinking and addresses our common misconceptions. Thanks for joining us today on Focus on K-12, EdTech and The...

Claudio Zavala Jr is a digital designer, creator, and educator in Texas focused on taking risks, igniting creativity, and making change in education. Join us as we talk about how we can take more risks and find success. Thanks for joining us today on Focus on K-12, EdTech and The Education Experience. If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe. If you have any ideas for future guests or you’d like...

As an advocate for student voice, my guest, Tanya Avrith believes in the power of storytelling in Education. She has seen stories help kids explore their creativity, construct their identities and connect with others first-hand – a principle that she has the privilege of spreading with the help of Adobe Education, as their Education Evangelist. Thanks for joining us today on Focus on K-12, EdTech...

With each of our interactions in our schools, with our students or our staff, we need to stay cognizant that everyone has a point-of-view and lens built off their experiences. This week I talk to Tom Murray, Director of Future Ready Schools, about the hidden stories within us and within our students and how these stories help shape us. Thanks for joining us today on Focus on K-12, EdTech and The E...

Professional development, staffing, and support can often be neglected when budgets are tight and you're starting a new initiative in a school district. Sarah Kyriazis from Worcester Public Schools in Massachusetts takes us through their plan to build capacity to address these issues with their iTeacher and iPrincipal programs. Thanks for joining us today on Focus on K-12, EdTech and The Education...

Esports, or competitive gaming, is taking the education community by storm. Today I talk to one of the members of the leadership team at NASEF and senior program officer at the Samueli Foundation, Laylah Bulman, about why it's so important to keep Scholastic central to the esports conversation. Thanks for joining us today on Focus on K-12, EdTech and The Education Experience. If you enjoyed the sh...

CC Chung, Educator and 2020 Hawaii Teacher of the Year, talks about how going virtual has impacted the ability to bring community and culture into the classroom and what it means to build community in virtual spaces. Thanks for joining us today on Focus on K-12, EdTech and The Education Experience. If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe. If you have any ideas for future guests or you’d like to...

Dr. Ebony Lee, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for Clayton County Schools in Georgia, takes on the foundations and science of reading, why reading is "not natural", and how reading can impact our lives. Thanks for joining us today on Focus on K-12, EdTech and The Education Experience. If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe. If you have any ideas for future gu...

Jaime Casap, a thought leader in education and former Chief Education Evangelist for Google, pushes our thinking by saying that when we say we want students to be college and career ready, we are shooting too low. Thanks for joining us today on Focus on K-12, EdTech and The Education Experience. If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe. If you have any ideas for future guests or you’d like to con...

Mike Cicchetti shares his ADAPT framework for creativity in the classroom and why igniting creativity in your students could be the key to a successful transition back to school. Thanks for joining us today on Focus on K-12, EdTech and The Education Experience. If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe. If you have any ideas for future guests or you’d like to contact us about the show, please reac...

Chanel Johnson, a Science Specialist from Atlanta, Georgia, shares her experiences with science and why we need to focus on the foundational skills like exploration and curiosity before we can dive into STEM. Thanks for joining us today on Focus on K-12, EdTech and The Education Experience. If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe. If you have any ideas for future guests or you’d like to contact...

Dr. Adam Phyall (one of EdTech Magazine's 2020 K-12 Influencers Worth a Follow) shares with us why it's so important to take time for self-care and while our work as education leaders is serious, we can still have fun. Thanks for joining us today on Focus on K-12, EdTech and The Education Experience. If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe. If you have any ideas for future guests or you’d like t...

As we have moved to remote working, distance or hybrid learning, and virtual conferences, staying connected has become even more difficult than ever before, missing out on those ‘in between’ moments in hallways, planning rooms, or around the proverbial water cooler. Some people find that becoming a more connected educator helps bridge this gap.  Today, I talk to an amazing leader, Greg Bagby,...